Smelly hogs cause Mexico-bound plane to divert to Bermuda
The cause of all the stink: KLM flight 685, seen here at Bermuda’s L.F. Wade International Airport Photo: Bernews
A flight carrying 100 live pigs in its cargo hold finally left Bermuda after an eventful weekend.
KLM flight 685, flying from Amsterdam to Mexico City, made an unscheduled landing in Bermuda on Friday night.
The reason? The unappetizing aroma of 100 pigs in the cargo hold prompted the flight crew to divert to the island for a fresh-air break.
Quick action by authorities saved their bacon: Skyport and Delta Air Lines – KLM’s airline partner – helped to arrange hotel rooms for the 259 passengers and crew.
Meanwhile, the pigs were cared for at a secure location, with help from a government vet.
Skyport stated in a release on Saturday: “This unexpected event adds a curious chapter to Bermuda’s history. Wild pigs were among the island’s earliest settlers, their night-time grunts mingling with the haunting calls of the Bermuda cahow to create eerie sounds that mystified early sailors. These echoes earned Bermuda the nickname ‘Devil’s Isle’ …”
Social media feasted on the story, with commentators salivating over the inadvertent delivery of “Christmas hams” courtesy of “BLT Airlines.”
One post on Bernews struck a more serious tone: “Why are live pigs being flown from Europe to Mexico? That is the question that needs to be answered? Seems inhumane and wholly unnecessary to me.”
The incident even drew coverage overseas. Bild, the German tabloid equivalent of The Sun newspaper in the U.K., ran the sizzling headline: ‘100 Schweine zwingen Urlauber-Boeing zur Landung’. Rough translation: ‘100 pigs force vacationing Boeing to land.’
But the story didn’t hog the headlines for long … Passengers left Bermuda for Mexico on Saturday evening and the pigs followed on another flight roughly 24 hours later.
